Motor and fan unit mounting for vacuum cleaners



Nov. 23, 1948.

P. C. RECTOR IOTOR AND FAN UNIT MOUNTING FOR VACUUI CLEANERS Filed Aug llll Inventor: Paul C. Rector,

His Attorney.

' casing of a vacuum cleaner,

merited Nov. 23, 1948 MOTOR General Electric New York C any. it

AND FAN UNIT MOUNTING FOB VACUUM CLEANERS Paul C. Rector, East Cleveland,

Ohio, asslgnor to corporation of Application August 14, 1347, SerialNo. 768,662

4 Claims. ((31.230-11'!) The present type although it is not limited thereof necessarily.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved mounting and holding means for a motor and fan unit of a vacuum cleaner which is simple in construction, enables the unit to be quickly and easily installed in and removed from the vacuum cleaner casing, and can be provided at low cost.

For a consideration novel and my invention, the following specification appended thereto.

In the drawing Fig. 1 .is a side elevation, mostly in section, of a tank typevacuum cleaner embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2--3, Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is. an exploded perspective view of a locking flange shown in Fig. 2, a disk which looks with it, and a resilient mounting plug.

Referring to the drawing of what I believe to be attention is directed to and to the claims 6 indicates the outer 2 the cap at the air inlet end of the cleaner and 3 the cap at its exit end. The cap ends are detachably connected to casing i by suitable means (not shown) so they may be readily removed. At the air inlet end of the cleaner is an assembly comprising a dust bag it, an inner wire bag frame 3a and an outer wire bag frame 5. It is held in the casing by an outturned flange 6 on the assembly position between the end of casing i and a bead i on the end cap. By removing the end cap, frame can be removed from casing i-for emptying the bag. In casing l is a motor and fan unit comprising an electric motor 3 and atwo stage centrifugal fan 9. The fan casing I3 is attached to a flange ii at the right hand end of the motor casing by a ring of screws i 2. The two air impellers i3 and ll of the fan are fixed to motor shaft it. The stationary diffuser l6 which directs the air from the discharge of the first stage to the inlet of the second stage is fixed to the motor casing flange along with the fan casing. A handle for the cleaner is indicated at H, legs or skids for supporting it are indicated at l8, and the opening through which the motor lead wires (not shown) enters the casing is indicated at iii.

The structure so far described is a knownlone and is to be taken as typical as any suitable vacuum cleaner construction. Air enters the cleaner through a, central opening in inlet end cap 2 and afterpassing through bag 4 flows through the motor, entering through openings invention relates to vacuum cleancrs and especially to vacuum cleaners oi the tank the bag and outer bag and leaving through openings 2i. The air then passes through the fan as indicated by the arrows, discharging from the fan casing through a muffler 22 attached to the motor casing and thence through discharge opening 23 in end cap 3. Muffier M is shown as being of the type disclosed in the patent to Foldes 2,247,121, January 24, 1941.

My invention has to do with an improved construction and arrangement for mounting the motor and fan. unit in casing i whereby it may be quickly and easily positioned in and removed from the casingandvwhereby it is isolated from the casing by vibration absorbing means which prevents vibrations oi the motor and fan unit being transmitted to the casing.

According to my invention, I provide in casing two spaced apart holding members 25 and 26 fixed to casing by suitable means, such as by welding, and I mount the motor and fan unit between the two holding members through the intermediary of resilient members 21 and 28 at opposite ends of the fan casing held under com pression by a is locked to member 2%,

Holding member 25 is in the form of a casing flange projecting radially inward from casing l at a point just beyond the inner end of bag '4. It divides the casing into a bag chamber and a fan chamber. The flange defines an opening 33 through which the body of the motor projects from the fan chamber into the bag chamber. Holding member 26 is in the form of a locking ring attached to the inner surface of casing l and having inwardly projecting circumferentially spaced locking flanges 3|. In the present instance four flanges 3| are shown. Disk 29 is provided on its periphery with cut-out notches 32 which define four circumferentially spaced.

projections 33 adapted to engage beneath flanges 3|. The circumferential length of projections 33 are less than the distance between inturned flanges 3| and the notches 32 are greater than the circumferential length of flanges 3|. By this arrangement disk 29 can be passed through ring 26, projections 33 being in line with the spaces between flanges 3| and then turned circumferentially to bring projections 33 behind flanges 3| to look disk 29 to the ring. At the center of disk 29 is an openin 34 which assists in supporting plug 23. Also in disk 29 are series of openings 35 for the flow of air. For locking disk 29 to ring 26 to prevent circumferential movement, disk 29 is provided with struck-out tongues 36 which engage notches 31 in flanges 3|. The outer end detachable locking disk 29 which wall it oi the ran casing is provided with an out wafrdly projecting bulb ll embedded in plug II.

To assemble the motor and tan unit in the casing, resilient member 21 which may be formed irom sponge rubber or other suitable resilient substance may be placed around the motor casing in engagement with flange ll, after which the motor and fan unit ma'fybe inserted through the open end or the casing (end cap I. having been removed) to bring member 21 into engagement of sponge rubber or other suitable means (it having normally the contour shown in Fig. 3) is placed against the bulb is at the end oi the motor casing after which disk II is placed against memher 28 and forced down against'it expanding the member somewhat after the manner shown in Fig. 1 until the disk has passed beyond flanges Ii. At this time projections 33 pass between flanges 3|, the latter passing through notches".

The disk is then turned sufliciently to bring flanges it behind flanges II as shown in Fig. 2 to lock the disk in place. At the same time that I transversely in the outer casing. a locking ring so in the outer casing having a plurality of inwardly resilient member 18 is being compressed by the insertion oi disk 28, the resilient member 21 also is compressed. The arrangement is such that when disk 28 is locked in place, the members 21 and 28 are compressed sufllciently to hold the motor and fan assembly firmly in position. In this connection it will be noted that the fan casing is of smaller diameter than casing i so that neither themotor casing nor the fan casing is in direct contact with casing I. Compression of resilient member 21 forces it flrmly against casing i as well as against flange 25. Thisserves to hold the motor and 1am unit against radial movement. The unit is held against axial movement by the two members 21 and 28, the fan casing being compressed between them. It will thus be seen that the motor and tan unit is resiliently mounted in casing I out of contact with it.

To remove the motor and fan unit from the casing, it is necessary merely to remove end cap 3, press inwardly on disk 29, turn it to bring projections 3! out from behind flanges II and remove it along with the member 28 from the easing. The motor and fan unit can then be .lifted from the casing. 7

By my invention, I provide a construction wherein the motor and fan unit can be quickly and easily assembled in the casing and removed therefrom without the use of special tools and without the removal of screws or bolts. At the same time,

the motor and fan unit is flrmly held by resilient mounting out of direct contact with the casing wall whereby vibrations of the unit are not transferred to the casing.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United State's-is:

1. In a vacuum cleaner, an outer casing, an inwardly projecting casing flange which divides the easing into a bag chamber and a fan chamber, a motor and fan unit in the casing comprising a motor having a flange and a tan having a casing g with the motor -projecting -bey v 'amm connected to flange. said motor time and fan casing casing, laid -unit' being positioned in the outer casing in spaced relation to the guter casing wall nd said casing flange into the bag chamber, a resilient ring sitioned between said flanges engaging the motor e outer casing to position the unit the outer casing, a locking flange casing and transversely 1c in the outer casing spaced from the outer end oi.

the iancasing, a locking disk held by said locking flange, and a resilient member held underv compression between the end oi iancasing and said locking disk tor-positioning the unit axially between said casing flange and said locking flange.

- 2. In a vacuum cleaner, an outer casing,- an inwardly projecting casing flange which divides the easing into a bag chamber and a in chamber, a motor and fan unit in the casing comprising a motor having a flange and a fan having a casing connected to such flange, said motor flange and fan casing being of less diameter than said outer casing, said unit being positioned in the outer casing in. spaced relation to the outer casing wall with the motor projecting beyond said casing flange rinto the bag chamber, a resilient ring positioned between said flanges engaging the motor casing and the outer casing to position the unit projecting circumierentially spaced flanges, a locking disk having a plurality of spaced pro- -jections positioned behind said locking flanges, and a'resilient member held under compression between the end oi the fan casing and said look- 40 easing into 'a bag chamber and a tan chamber, a

motor and Ian unit in the casing of less diameter than said casing, said unit being positioned in the casing in spaced relation to the casing wall with the motor projecting beyond said casing flange into the bag chamber, a resilient ring positioned against said casing flange and in engagement with b 7 said unit and the outer casing to position the unit transversely in the outer casing, a ring fixed to the outer casing having a plurality of inwardly 5 projecting locking flanges, a locking disk having flanges adapted to be positioned behind said looking flanges byturnin'g movement of the disk, and a resilient member held under compression between the end of said unit and said locking disk for positioning the unit axially between said casing flange and said locking flanges.

4. In a vacuum cleaner, a casing, an inwardly projecting flange flxed to the inner surface of the casing, a locking ring flxed to the inner surface of the casing in axially spaced relation to said flange, said locking ring havinglockingprojec tions, a locking disk held by said locking projections, a motor and fan unit, and yieldable means held under compression by said locking disk supportingesaid unitbetween said flange and said locking ring and 1:.

PAUL C. RECTOR.

No references cited g of less diameter than said outer". 

